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Photo of Gwen Burrows

Assistant Vice-President, International Engagement & Impact

University of Toronto, Office of the Vice-President International

Photo of David Palmer

Vice President, Advancement

University of Toronto

Photo of Titilola Abolade

, MPH

Mastercard Foundation Doctoral Scholar

University of Toronto, Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Photo of Ronald Carshon-Marsh

, MD., MIPH, DrPH (c)

Mastercard Foundation Doctoral Scholar

University of Toronto, Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Mastercard Foundation Doctoral Scholar

University of Toronto, Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Photo of Charles Lagat

, PhD

Associate Professor, School of Business and Economics Coordinator, UNESCO Chair on Enterprise Management and Sustainability

Moi University

Photo of Jennifer Wilson

, MD

Lecturer at the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto

University of Toronto

Photo of Jamie Rodas

, MPH

Administrator at the Department of Family and Community Medicine

University of Toronto

Photo of Susan Cleary

, PhD

Head of Department and Professor of Health Economics in the School of Public Health

University of Cape Town

Photo of Dehran Swart

, BSc, BSc(Med)Hons, HDE(PG)Sec, MPH

Profile

Gwen Burrows

Assistant Vice-President, International Engagement & Impact

University of Toronto

Gwen Burrows is Assistant Vice-President, International Engagement & Impact at the University of Toronto.

The Assistant Vice-President, International Engagement and Impact (AVP IEI) collaborates with colleagues across the university and internationally to advance the University of Toronto’s global excellence and impact in research, its translation, and in teaching and learning. The Assistant Vice-President leads and executes the University’s integrated international strategy across multiple dimensions, with a particular focus on region-specific engagement strategies and the development of partnerships to maximize global impact.

Gwen was Executive Director in the Office of the Vice President International for five years before becoming AVP IEI and in that role, supported the creation and implementation of the University’s first international strategic plan, and led the development of key international partnerships in a number of regions around the world. Gwen came to the University from The Hospital for Sick Children, where she held a number of leadership positions, including Executive Director, Public Affairs and Child Health Advocacy. As Director, Strategic Projects for the SickKids Research Institute from 2006-2013, amongst other accomplishments Gwen co-led a successful $227 million Canada Foundation for Innovation grant proposal and its implementation to support the vision guiding the development of the Peter Gilligan Centre for Research and Learning. Gwen holds a Master’s in Philosophy from Johns Hopkins and a BA from McGill University.

Email Address
gwen.burrows@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Governance
Executive Steering Committee
Profile

David Palmer

Vice President, Advancement

University of Toronto

Since 2007, David has served as Vice-President, Advancement for the University of Toronto.  Under David’s leadership, U of T launched Boundless which concluded in 2018 as the largest campaign in Canadian history with $2.64 billion raised.   

David is a Senior Fellow of Massey College, a Council for Advancement and Support of Education Laureate and former trustee, an executive committee member of the National Council of Foundation Executives, and a director of the Earth Rangers Foundation. He earned his Master of Fine Arts in musicology from Princeton University and began his career as a Lecturer in the Faculty of Music at Western University, his undergraduate alma mater.

From 1999 to 2007, David served as President and Executive Director of the Royal Ontario Museum Board of Governors. From 1993 to 1999, David led a ground-breaking campaign for the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University, ushering in a new era in professional-faculty fundraising in Canada.

David was recognized in 2011 with the Outstanding Fundraising Professional Award by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. In 2016 he was recognized with the Outstanding Achievement Award by the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education.

Email Address
davidnpalmer@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Governance
Executive Steering Committee
Profile

Titilola Abolade, MPH

Mastercard Foundation Doctoral Scholar

University of Toronto

With a career spanning over 15 years, Titilola has professional work experience in public health program development, management, and leadership at both national and international organizations in Nigeria.

This involved working with government agencies and parastatals, UN Agencies, NGOs, Community-based organizations (CBOs), Faith-based Organizations (FBOs), private sector and donor organizations across Nigeria through partnership, collaboration, capacity strengthening, resource mobilization, technical assistance, research and other health systems strengthening initiatives.

Titilola is in the 2nd year of the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) Program. Prior to this, she worked as Program Director overseeing Nutrition International’s programs and operations in Nigeria and ensuring they are aligned with the Government of Nigeria’s strategic priorities. In 2018, Titilola received Nutrition International’s “President’s Award of Excellence” for leadership. She has also previously worked with the Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH) in Ibadan and Abuja, Nigeria and Sightsavers Nigeria Country office, Kaduna.

Titilola is grateful for the Mastercard Foundation scholarship and believes the DrPH program will further strengthen her knowledge, capacity and network in advanced public health research, policy and leadership. This is with a view to contributing to developing, scaling and leading effective and innovative solutions to public health challenges in Nigeria and Africa. She believes health and nutrition play a critical role in development. Her research interests include maternal, newborn, child, adolescent health and nutrition.

Email Address
titilola.abolade@mail.utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Scholar
Country
Canada
Programs
Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)
Profile

Ronald Carshon-Marsh, MD., MIPH, DrPH (c)

Mastercard Foundation Doctoral Scholar

University of Toronto

Ronald completed his first degree in Medicine in 2008 from the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS), Sierra Leone and his Master of International Public Health from the University of Queensland, Australia. He holds a postgraduate certificate on Health Systems Planning from the Tokai University, Yokohama, Japan. Ronald worked as a medical officer in many hospitals and served as Case Management pillar lead during the Ebola epidemic (2014 – 2016) in Kono, Sierra Leone. He was awarded ‘Young Alumni Excellence Award 2016’ by the Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Australia. Due to his administrative and clinical experience, he worked as the District Medical Officer in two districts and served as the overall technical lead for the COVID-19 response in Bo district 2020 – 2021. He has also served as the programme manager, National Malaria Control Programme. Ronald has published articles on Mortality Surveillance and Antimicrobial Resistance.

Email Address
ronald.carshonmarsh@mail.utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Scholar
Country
Canada
Programs
Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)
Profile

Gladys Olisaekee

Mastercard Foundation Doctoral Scholar

University of Toronto

Email Address
gladys.olisaekee@mail.utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Scholar
Country
Canada
Profile

Charles Lagat, PhD

Associate Professor, School of Business and Economics Coordinator, UNESCO Chair on Enterprise Management and Sustainability

Moi University

Professor Charles Lagat is an Associate Professor in the School of Business & Economics, Moi University, Kenya since 2002.

He has previously served as the Director for Directorate of International Programmes, Linkages & Alumni as Head of Marketing Department and as coordinator of different projects at Moi University. Charles had over 6 years industry experience in marketing and sales prior to joining the University. He has had international experience as a visiting scholar at Oklahoma State University USA, Netherlands and as visiting Professor in Donghua University, China. Charles has been actively involved in research in fields of management sciences, entrepreneurship, marketing and logistics. He has published papers in refereed journals and presented in international conferences, workshops and seminars. He is a Member of the Association of International Universities serving as an Ambassador for the African region, a Full Member of the Kenya Institute of Management and the Marketing Society of Kenya.

Email Address
lagatck@mu.ac.ke
Profile Type
Faculty
Country
Kenya
Governance
HEMP Pillar Advisory Commitee
Profile

Jennifer Wilson, MD

Lecturer at the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto

University of Toronto

Dr. Jennifer Wilson, MD CCFP(EM), FCFP, DIM&PH, MPH FCM-AS is a comprehensive family physician who practices emergency medicine in Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada.

She is a Lecturer at the Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM) at the University of Toronto, mentoring medical students and residents in her community practice. Dr. Wilson is the Director of International Partnerships at the Leyaata Hospital in Savannah Region, Ghana, West Africa where she has been involved in teaching, training, and capacity building since 2007. In 2023 Dr. Wilson was honoured to accept the position as Faculty Lead for the academic collaboration between the DFCM and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) under the umbrella of the African Health Collaborative. In the Spring of 2024, Dr. Wilson completed a Master of Public Health Family and Community Medicine (Advance Standing) with a Collaborative Specialization in Global Health at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto.

Profile Type
Faculty
Country
Canada
Governance
HEMP Pillar Advisory Commitee
Profile

Jamie Rodas, MPH

Administrator at the Department of Family and Community Medicine

University of Toronto

Jamie Rodas, MPH, is an administrator at the Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM), University of Toronto, where she has worked for 9 years. She holds a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Global Health.

Jamie has over a decade of experience in project coordination, project management and advocacy in the fields of global health, health equity, and healthcare system strengthening. She has supported and fostered active collaborations with multiple stakeholders internationally and locally in Canada.

Jamie is the DFCM point person for the Africa Higher Education Collaboration and Project Coordinator for the DFCM. She supports the integration of all DFCM activities with the AHEC and long-term collaboration with the AHEC.

Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Governance
HEMP Pillar Advisory Commitee
Profile

Susan Cleary, PhD

Head of Department and Professor of Health Economics in the School of Public Health

University of Cape Town

Susan Cleary is Head of Department and Professor of Health Economics in the School of Public Health at the University of Cape Town.

She joined the School in 2001, becoming the director of the Health Economics Unit (2007-2012), Associate Professor in 2011, Head of School in 2022, and Professor of Health Economics in 2023. She holds a Masters’ in Economics (2001) and a PhD in Public Health specializing in Health Economics (2007), assessing equity and efficiency in HIV-treatment in South Africa. Her work focuses on research, capacity development and policy engagement within the areas of economic evaluation, health care priority setting and universal health coverage. She is interested in considerations of both distributive and procedural justice in health and health care. For the former, areas of interest include cost-effectiveness, affordability and financial risk protection to households from alternative interventions. For the latter, areas of interest include the governance of health technology assessment and related priority setting processes. She plays a key role in teaching health economics at the postgraduate diploma, masters’ and doctoral levels.

Email Address
susan.cleary@uct.ac.za
Profile Type
Faculty
Country
South Africa
Governance
HEMP Pillar Advisory Commitee
Profile

Dehran Swart, BSc, BSc(Med)Hons, HDE(PG)Sec, MPH

Dehran holds a BSc in Biochemistry and Microbiology, a BSc (Med) Hons. in Community Health and a HDE (PG) Sec in Education and MPH.

Dehran has experience as a secondary school educator; specialist scientist at the MRCSA (health promotion); senior project manager at the Paraffin Safety Association of Southern Africa; and senior manager within the Faculty of Health Sciences.

He previously directed research on  international studies funded by a NIH Fogarty R01 grant as well as by CDC/WHO.

He served as a consultant for WHO’s Tobacco Free Initiative in Geneva and as contributor / regional consultant for the WHO African Region / Eastern Mediterranean Region (WHO World Report on Child Injury Prevention, 2008).

He has been employed as the Health Teaching Platform Manager (Faculty of Health Sciences, UCT) for the past 10 years.

He is a Board Member at Ithemba Lobomi, NPO based in Thembalethu, George; Chairperson of the Dr Aadil Moerat Medical Bursary Trust and Chairperson of the Victoria Hospital Facility Board.

Governance
HEMP Pillar Advisory Commitee